Koné on board as Martinez's first signing

Can we make another signing before September 1st?!

Welcome to Goodison!

Glad to have him onboard though, I thought he was very impressive last season.

The question is, do we have any money left to spend? Unless we sell someone I think the answer will be depressingly obvious over the coming weeks and months.

Roberto will want to get us playing his style of football, and we don't want last minute signings where players aren't up to speed on their role within the side.

It's not so bad if you are going to be a reserve, with time to bed in, but I imagine Kone will be playing first team football as long as he's fit & firing.

My main concern this summer is a certain Mr. Baines signing a new contract, I want Fellaini to stay, but £23m can give us some strength in depth, if reinvested wisely.

I would be quite happy to see another two come in with no departures.

On a related note, why do we always sign for an undisclosed fee? Why the secrecy all the time? Aren't they publishing the accounts now anyway. It really pisses me off.

I'm very interested for pre-season to begin so we can see what sort of formation RM will be going with.

I was disappointed he won't be joining the Everton players until the end of the month due to playing for his country at the end of the season. I do believe he misses an opportunity to know his new team mates more quickly.

Just need another central midfielder with a bit more forward drive and another wide player. Am I asking for too much?

Get Alcaraz for free and sell Heitinga.
Get a youngish goalkeeper to push Howard.
Would love Honda to sign but that probably won't happen.
Make sure Baines signs a new contract.
If we can keep Fellaini then great, if not get Fer in.

That's all we need. (It sounds simple doesn't it lol)

Honda, Wanyama, Fer and/or Deulofeu in midfield as a preference. ALl feel somewhat unlikely though.

I guess time will tell re Kone, and he's certainly a handful.

Alvarez Alcaraz in next and then hopefully one of these other links proves to be something other than idle paper talk. Honda or the Barcelona boy would both be welcome additions.

If Felli is going to leave, he can go now too so all the options don't bugger off elsewhere.

Oh, I forgot – Davey`s moved on.

Apologies – it's been a long day.

Still, anyone who can score 11 in a shite Wigan team should be able to do the business with service from our midfield/Baines.

Makes it more likely us getting him now hopefully.

He can pick & choose really, seeing as CSKA have said he can leave anyway.

About bloody time.

I assume Alcaraz will be in soon and I would like to see Robles in as GK cover.

This is all part of EFC kicking on to the next stage.

I understand the situation we are in and the financial limitations it brings...

However, let's not (as so many are) dress this up as progress.

It was time for Moyes to move on... but what has filled the gap has been totally uninspiring... yet so typical of what we can expect from this shambles of a board.

Martinez is living down to everyone's expectations so far.

That makes it all the more average

I can't help but think we should have signed a younger player for less money. But I am glad we've started to get business done this early.

Have to trust RM on this one.

I think CSKA would rather the fee, and if Milan are unwilling to pay the fee, and we are, then it doesnt matter where he wants to play.

With this transfer, finally a striker with pace!!!! Age is an issue, but overall he's proven and a good signing.

Can we please suspend judgement until there are some meaningful performances (that excludes pre-season) to go on?

He can't score goals in the Premier League or La Liga but sure there is a league somewhere where he would flourish. Oh yeah, of course, the Championship where both he and his former manager should be plying their trade.

This quote from CSKA might hint otherwise (I hope you're right by the way!)

“We are not worried if he ends up leaving the club on a free transfer.

“It is a difficult decision to make – part ways with Honda now or keep him until his contract expires.

“We are interested to know how this progresses. The ball is in Milan’s court now.”

Speaks volumes really.

Martinez obviously wants to get off the blocks with a good first season so where does he look to improve first? Where were weakest, which is scoring goals.

So what does he do? Buys a striker.

I like him more and more each day. :)

Not a marquee signing but probably better than what we have at the moment, unless Jelavic stops shitting himself and going out wide to avoid shooting.

But this is not an inspiring buy from RM. Of all the strikers in the whole world he could have picked, instead he picks the striker from his old club. And if he is the best option, then so be it. But is he really the best striker available? I don't think so. Now had he tried to sign Jordan Rhodes, one of the hottest striking properties in the country that would show his intent on building a team for the future. Burning 6.5 million on a stop gap doesn't seem like good business sense at all. I would be easier to accept if he was 29 but banging them in. But the reality is, that he scores once every three games on average. Lets hope RM proves us wrong on this, and gets a better goal return out of the lad.

I'm pleased we have got him...would rather the deal had been around the 3.5 mark, but can't really complain. 5million is fair, and other Prem teams wanted him for that much.

Scored 11 for a Wigan team who scored less goals, and created less than us? and 15 for Levante the season before. Also gives us some pace, which is always a good thing.

We must bring in another central midfielder and wide player though imo... as our squad is too weak at the moment.

Martinez knows what he wants knows what he's getting and Kone obviously fits the bill. I don't think Martinez is an idiot by any stretch, and Kone might not be RVP, but for £5m I'll think he'll do great.

For a team whose next step is potential champions league I think the Martinez appointment is lacking in imagination and is uninspiring. Sorry if that opinion is 'premature' - but it's my opionion. The reason for this appointment being lazy and unimaginative is not down to Martinez but the complete impotence of our board. I agree to single Martinez out for personal criticism is undeserved. However, the vast majority of posts I have read are critical of the decision and the decision maker - not the candidate.

Similarly, Kone is an average signing. 29 goals in 6 years we here - good enough for EFC? - well no frankly. Registering that view on a forum is fair play surely. Else why don't we all wrap up now and reconvene in May?

This has me strangely unmoved, though I
hope it works out v well,

One reason for my I-can't-get-that-excited
mood is reading at the same time that Swansea are
close to grabbing Bony for 13 million.

Inevitably, sorry, this has led me to reflect on the
relative standings of us and a club that came close
to slipping out of the football league altogether
not too long ago.

That happened in Teary Billy's time as board/crony
boos and, inevitably, it has led me to reflect on Luvvy Chop's (mis)handling of our precious club.

I;ll admit, hands up in the air, that there is a large dollop of nostalgia and longing in my mind too, as I just read the sections in The Official Autobiography when Moore took over the board and said to Mr. Catterick words to the effect of: we will spend spend spend to make Everton the best club in England.

Ah!.

Pleasant thoughts drifting through my mind like little fluffy clouds.

Ah!

Don't mean to be unfair to the lad - Kone - erm 30-year-old grown up, but I would be tapping a quite different post if we
had Bony down at Finch Farm.

Oh well, good luck to all concerned.

I suppose that someone will now post that dreary Ferry has
managed to turn a bright post about a brand new signing
into a rant against Kenwright, and, isn't he so churlish and'
childish using disrespectful terms like Teary and Chops.

Radio-5 reporting Kone cost 6.5 million.

Market trader.

Ok Luv I'll give you 2 Kones for 1 Bony, 2 Kones for
1 Bony, can't go any lower luv gotta put food on the
table for my 11 kinds, 2 Kones for 1 Bony

If you honestly would have been happy about it and not questioned whether there was a younger striker out there with potential, then fair enough.

Just practicing

Well played! I hadnt actually seen that quote. But let's hope we get him!

Can't really complain about this one..

And if you just want to snipe at people for some kind of reason or harbour grudges from when we had a different gaffa ..........well so be it I guess. Sad

On what evidence ?

Umm - not sure but you'll provide it in time !

Honda needs to be the main target now. Milan are in the pits as is Italian club football. No player with ambition would choose that over the Premier League.

Van Persie's "almost" 30 too... wouldn't mind him even for the astronomical sum of £6.5m.

On another transfer, do we get any money from a sell-on clause if the Mancs sell Rooney? I am sure it was part of the deal all those years ago... 20% would be nice.

A 30-year old defender who spits would seem to be next on the list.

Roll on the new season...

It's also just up the road, which helps. Location. Location. Location.

Yes everyone has a right to their opinion. That's includes me as well - I hope that he proves to be a good signing - but I will reserve judgement, unlike you it would seem. I am just glad that we seem to be off to an earlier start than usual as regards doing transfer business.

And about our other strikers - we seem to be pretty quick to have a go at Jelavic. I recall Bob Latchford scoring 30 League Goals in 1977-78, the following season he managed 12 League Goals. I don't seem to recall any " misfiring Latchford" attitudes to be prevalent at that time. Moyes seemed to struggle with the strikers that he signed - were all of them bad players? I think not -it will be interesting to see how he copes with Man United strikers.

Also great to finally have 2 proper strikers at the club, giving each other competition. Hopefully this will give Jelly the push to also get back to where he was in the season before last.

If Alcaraz is on board as well then we just need to focus on a new CM as an urgent position and tell Moyes/Manu to F'off again re Baines - unless they put at least 20m on the table. Even then I'd rather not sell him as we wont get a better LB.

Still waiting for Naismith, Anichebe and Heitinga to be shipped out (cannot believe we rejected a bid for Naismith, unless it was for about 100k!).

When did we last sign someone on 8th July?

Roberto, Roberto, na na nana na na....

Wish I could fast forward month!

'You know what Everton'd have a cracking team if they had a bit more bite up front. Put something like....I don't know....Kone in their team instead of ours with a bit of ambition and they could really tear someone a new one....'

And it came to pass....

I am not being negative because I enjoy it. My honest view is that BK – who should not be allowed to even decide what crisps we sell at Goodison – has made a huge howler yet again. Anyway, I hope I am completely wrong but it really is a funny old world.

I did but think I got away with it.

(Many posts remind me of Fawlty Towers on here)

And whenever I hear Alcaraz I think of Alcatraz. Says more about me I guess.

Thats way too high in my opinion. We can't afford to be profligate with our limited funds.

So I'm disappointed by this to be honest, and thats a shame as our first signing should be much cheer. I hope he does well and I will get behind him (its not his fault).

Kone gets my best wishes and I hope he bangs them in regularly. How much have we spent on strikers in the last decade or so? Quite a lot - for us - Yak, Beattie, Johnson, Jelavic and Beckford and a few others including Saha. None of them arrived under such a barrage of criticism, but because he played for Wigan he is seen as somehow not good enough to play for Everton. Well Baines' hasn't done too bad has he?

I'm not over the moon about him but if he gives it a 100% and manages a few goals then he will have been worth the money - A younger version would cost in excess of £10m plus excessive wages, but we haven't got that sort of cash even if we sold Felli or Baines.

We really must stop being inverted snobs when it comes to new players, remember, beggars cannot be choosers.

As I keep saying, Leon Osman was re-signed last month aged 32; he is useless yet no one says a word about his age regardless of a fee or not. £5.5 mill isn't big money.

I will reserve judgement, but I'm not too comfortable with this reputed 6.5 million price tag.

Why don't we see how he plays first before putting the boot in. The guy scored 11 league goals playing for a shite team last year. Stick him in a better side (ie us) and hopefully that 11 becomes 15-20.

Just because he played for Wigan here first doesn't necessarily mean he will be shite for us. If he nets 15 league goals or more this coming seaons, then he would have been worth the outlay.

I'm just happy we have another striker in the squad who's better than Anichebe!

The Martinez era is under way now.

1 Robin van Persie Manchester United 26
2 Luis Suarez Liverpool 23
3 Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur 21
4 Christian Benteke Aston Villa 19
5 Miguel Michu Swansea City 18
6 Romelu Lukaku West Bromwich Albion 17
7 Demba Ba Chelsea 15
7 Dimitar Berbatov Fulham 15
7 Rickie Lambert Southampton 15
7 Frank Lampard Chelsea 15
11 Edin Dzeko Manchester City 14
11 Theo Walcott Arsenal 14
13 Sergio Aguero Manchester City 12
13 Santi Cazorla Arsenal 12
13 Adam Le Fondre Reading 12
13 Juan Mata Chelsea 12
13 Wayne Rooney Manchester United 12

Apart from Le Fondre or maybe Lambert can you see us getting anyone for 5mill that would come to us???

COYB

Jesus, the sun has got to me..........that really is a shite comment but I am happy enough as we all spout varying degrees of crap as we wait for the season to start again.

I may begin a post analysing the skills of Mick Bernard just for the hell of it...

The fee is the biggest concern for me, a flagrant waste of precious pennies; we simply can not afford such a pointless signing. It irks me as well to recall that Lewis Holtby (a sorely-needed winger) cost Spurs the princely sum of £1.5M which we presumably could not compete with and yet, when we have the money, it is wasted on mediocre journeymen like Kone.

I'd echo some of the earlier points, Martinez is underwhelming so far – I understand the merits of going with what you know but I was hoping he'd appreciate the step up in the club's stature.

The move will look good if he scores his worth, and even better if we can out a fringe player for a decent fee (Naismith), but will look pretty poor if we have squandered our pennies if the inevitable happens and we have to cash in on the better players. I understand where Pete is coming from.

Between them Liverpool and West Ham have paid £50M for Carroll's dubious services... Is Carroll 10 times better than Kone?

The fee clubs pay does not relate to how effective that player will be for a given club. He's a player Martinez likes and wants in his team. In three years he'll leave the club as a legend, a flop, or somewhere in between. Who knows? Let's give him a chance and then we'll find out.

For those of you who worry about sell-on, well Fellaini is the prime example. We bought him when he was 20. We could sell him now for £10M more than we paid yet I'm sure the vast majority of fans don't want him to go.

I don't want Everton to be a club that simply grooms players for other clubs so that they can get the best years out of them. I want Everton to get their best years.

Ben # 606 has hit the nail on the head: look at the players who scored 12 or more out of our price range, agreed? Or are we gonna argue squad rotation for the others (was gonna say larger, but couldn't).

Also, we don't want to sell our top players because, under Luvvie, every time we sold a top player, our debt seemed to increase... I can't figure that one out either.

Anyway, rumuor has it that old BK is selling his ass on Lime Street, so that will soon clear the bills, won't it.

Remember, it could be worse — you could be RED!! Now I feel ill...

We should be copying FC Porto business model, that is the only way for us to survive while BK and his cronies are at the helm

I haven't really seen much of Kone, and I doubt very much anyone slagging him has either, and a few highlights on MOTD doesn't count.

Let's give him half a season before we pass judgement.

Mark, good idea, but Porto are a selling club, Moutinho, Rodriguez, Falcao, Deco, Hulk, Meireles, Pepe Quaresma, Bosingwa, all being sold in the last decade.

Also, Porto's managers seem to stay for about 2 years before leaving, Mourinho stayed for 2 and a half years, AVB just 1, Pereira 1 and a half.

Considering they had all of these top players, they haven't had as much success in Europe in the last decade since the CL win in 2004 and winning the Europa in 2011.

You'd think that Porto would get further in the CL than the last 16 every year, so there must be a problem there considering Malaga who were in financial turmoil last year getting to the CL semi final.

All we need is a Russian, similar to that guy who owns Monaco now who has money, because unless someone makes a firm offer, we could be stuck with our useless board and incompetent chairman for a good while yet sadly.

He scored more than any forward we had on the books last season, in a team that was under the cosh most weeks. Unless I imagined it or it was some sort of fake footage shot on a soundstage.....a kind of Kone conspiracy....like the moon landing.

Err....that's probably the exact reason he's bought him. Kone is a player he's managed before, whose strengths he's fully aware of, who gives us something we badly need (pace), is available at a reasonable price and who is eager to play under his ex-boss again: Sounds like an obvious and logical choice.

What's he supposed to do? Ignore Kone's credentials and instead take a gamble on someone else he knows much less about...simply because they're a bit younger....and never played for Wigan? What did you expect? Oh, sorry, I forgot he apparently had his pick of "all the strikers in the whole world". Martinez has obviously spent the last week rubbing fuck out of Aladdins Lamp if he's now been granted an unlimited budget and pulling power of such potency that every forward in the world game is sat by the phone with their bags packed just waiting for his proposition.

'But....he's almost 30!!' they cry, 'He's so old that everyone calls him Spider-Man. Not because he's got super powers or anything like that......he just struggles like fuck to get out of the bath'.

Really? Damn. That is ANCIENT. He'll probably need drenching in formaldehyde after every game just to ensure he doesn't disintegrate into dust by December.

Ok, that might have been overly sarcastic and I do realise that the main reason his age is continually brought up is because of the lack of potential 'resale value' but surely that should not concern us or the manager. When you're looking to bring a player in then the key criteria has got to be what he will add to the squad here and now, not the amount you might be able to make when you finally give him his marching orders. As long as he delivers throughout the length of his contract and performs successfully in the role he was brought in to play then surely that represents money well spent?

Like when he signed the near 32-year-old Distin for £5m you mean?

Under Moyes and BK's tenure, we've sold most of our fixed assets and borrowed about £40M to fund player purchases and salary. You can't keep spending forever unless you have a rich backer.

Critics should hold fire till we have a clear idea of exactly what the squad will be at the end of August. Jumping to conclusions is either silly or shows people have too much time on their hands. In both cases, it may be better to think before typing.

Just because we have time on our hands doesn't mean we aren't thinking!

My personal opinion is he'll get us 15 goals this coming season, maybe a bit less, maybe a bit more, but he could be the difference between success and failure, because let's face it, the margins are very slim in that department in the Premier League.

We buy Stones - one for the future etc - people bitch because he doesn't get played and we need players now.

We have Barkley - people bitch because he should be getting game time now but the powers that be don't think he's ready, so he gets eased in.

We buy Kone - who's ready to play now, could be more or less at his peak this season, is a STRIKER FFS - remember people - goals, entertainment, points, the sexy stuff we should be getting excited about and he's on a plate and the reaction is....

People bitch.

John Daley #656 - my reaction would've been 'that's another striker Moyes is going to mismanage, isolate and ultimately fuck up then.'

2013 Fellaini - 11
2012 Jelavic - 09
2011 Cahill - 09
2010 Saha - 13
2009 Cahill/Fella - 08
2008 Yakubu - 15
2007 Johnson - 11
2006 Beattie - 10
2005 Cahill - 11
2004 Rooney - 09
2003 Campbell/Radz - 11
2002 Ferguson/Radz - 06
2001 Campbell - 09
2000 Campbell - 12
1999 Campbell - 09
1998 Ferguson - 11
1997 Ferguson - 10
1996 Kanchelskis - 16
1995 Rideout - 14
1994 Cottee - 16
1993 Cottee - 12

So Kone would have been hailed a hit if he managed his PL tally last season, in most PL seasons if he had have worn the blue of Everton rather then Wigan.

For strikers who are top notch, who almost guarantee 20+ a season, the starting price is £25m and very rarely do they sign for clubs outside the Champions League.

The only way this could possibly pay off is if we got into Europe because of the goals he scores. It could work but I suspect and hope we see a new Jelavic this season, now that Moyes and his 'kick up the backside' attitude has gone.

So Everton Legend Duncan Ferguson never broke through the magical 11 goal mark in the 11 seasons he played for us.

Looking down that list, it becomes evident that Kone doesn't really have particularly big boots to fill.

Personally I think he'll do well and am happy to see him at Goodison.

It's sad that we all think that £5m is such a huge amount of money when all that can buy you in today's market is someone as distinctly average as Jonjo Shelvey.

I think Kone has looked a £20m player at times when I've seen him. Can't wait for him to start banging them in for us!

Let's just give the guy a chance and any other players that may come in before the start of the season. Trust Martinez's judgement and let's all be positive and get behind Everton Football Club. Both Martinez and Kone at least deserve that.

Is that list Premier League goals only?

It doesn't look right...

Kone scored about the same number of goals as our top goalscorer last season. In a struggling team.

We moan when we don't sign a player and then moan when we do.The manager brings in his back up staff from Wigan - and gets slated because they were relegated and these where the people who led them to the Championship.I doubt whether Alex Feguson or Arsene Wenger could've saved Wigan from relegation.You can only work with the resources that you've got - Wigan had possibly the lowest transfer budget in the Premier league so they were always going to struggle.

I have to laugh when pundits like Alan Hansen will slag off the bad defending of the likes of say Fulham, West Brom, Wigan etc when they play against the likes of Chelses/Man City/Man United/Arsenal. These teams can't afford to pay £25M+ to sign World Class defenders.

Martinez was always going to have a struggle on his hands at Wigan.What were Man City before the Arab money poured in ? An average Premier League club - some would say underaceiiving - over 40 years without a title win and over 40 years since an FA Cup win - last trophy prior to the 2011 FA Cup was the League Cup in 1976.Oh I was forgetting they got relegated to the Third tier. MOney changes everything. We haven't got shed loads of money - so get used to it. Not many clubs have - Arsenal have had a bid of £30M for Suarez turned down - how many PL clubs can afford to bid £30M for one player ? Not many I would suggest,

Our new manager has paid out for a player that he knows a lot about. Less of a risk I would think than a player he hasn't worked with. Will he be a good signing ? I don't know - I hope that he is - but I prefer to reserve judgement - unlike some it would seem.Some of you are so sure that he is a bad signing - presumably you are all lottery winners because you are so sure of things !!!!

If the lad scores 15-20 goals for the next 3 seasons then it will be will be looked upon as a good or even great purchase. At the moment all I can see is that he appears to have some qualities that our strikers lack (mainly mobility) even though I do think it is blinkered to not consider the implications of spending our meagre resources on ageing players.

There's always something special about a forward who can do stuff with the ball at their feet...At least if he goes through a barren spell he can still contribute..

The likes of Jelavic - who is a one touch player - has absolutely nothing to bring to the team whenever his 'one touch' deserts him...

I'd love to be proved wrong and he brings in Honda and Moses over the next few days but sadly it won't happen and we will see Fellaini or Baines go instead.

If memory serves me right, the Yak had over 20 at one stage..

---------------------------

haha...i'll take that.

As long as you acknowledge we have a few that can't!

A great representation of this was seen in Bayern's team this year. Gomez, who I personally think would score over 20 goals in a top team every season in the Premier League...was left on the bench after returning from injury in favour of Mandzukic. Now Mandzukic does not score as many goals as Gomez...but he works about as hard as any footballer in world football, and brings other players into the game. A player that does too thinks well, may be better than one that does something very well.

My main concerns at this time are, firstly as put so well by other members on this forum, it puts things into context when Swansea are bidding £13 million for Bony. While we should also consider Villa and a number of other clubs have made a significant amount of new player signings already.

My fear is we’re not being pro-active enough, which has very much been evident at our club for a number of years now.

RM says he wants to sign 4 players, looking at the squad we have, the players who we have let go this summer, that is the absolute minimum we need to sign in my opinion to compete with no major injuries to key players next season.

Based on the amount of time it’s taken to get this sorted, with the squad and manager off to pre-season training imminent and our history of signing players, I have concerns.

It would be nice for us to get a number of new signings, but I just don’t see it happening.

Incidentally...Gomez is currently underpriced imo...If only we had the money of Spurs or Liverpool. Or apparently Swansea.

At that price until he's 32/33 (which still isn't that old these days) scoring 13 minimum per season, that's not bad business. We could go out and spunk a lot more on a striker and not have any more guarantees.

He will also add competition for places and could help raise the game of Big Vic (Eternally hopeful of that happening) and Jelavic. I think the signing will also compliment Jelavic very well and if we stick Baines and Mirallas on the wings with Oviedo at left back, there is plenty of attacking optimism for the season ahead. Ok, thats an if, as we're after another winger but we have options.

I'm being optimistic for once. COYBB!!

As pointed out above Jelavic contributes nothing when he is not scoring and has a horrible touch. Kone is an upgrade on what we have, be happy.

Now available from QPR.

I rest my case...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23240104

I think you need a sense of realism, we only have one brass farthing.

In all seriousness though, think he is better than what we've got and we haven't got millions to splash, so I'll give him the 'benefit of the doubt' and wait and see what he can produce (just as I did with Jelly til he went shit).

David knows that.
Sounds like he is his defence counsel

GET ON QUICK.

The recent signing of Kone, for me, is a good one.

I understand the view of other people regarding his age, but having watched him play last season, and more importantly score, I think bringing in a striker who is in his prime (physically and mentally) is just what the Blues need next season.

Feel free to agree/disagree.....sorry if I'm a couple of weeks late with the topic!

Yea, you are just a little bit late.... but if any of our regulars spot this, they might give you a bit of a challenge over your scurrilous opinion on this fella Kone.

[Ya might wanna comment on one of our more recent threads... just saying!]